Teachers salary withheld as probe is on : Kayisii

IMPHAL, Feb 13: Tribal Affairs and Hills Minister N Kayisii has stated that salaries of Autonomous District Council (ADC) teachers have not been released as a three-member committee has been auditing and investigating the huge amount of excess money in the payment of teachers’ salaries.Pointing that there is a likelihood of ADC teachers’ agitation as their salaries have not been paid for the last six months, Opposition MLA Kh Joykisan today raised a call attention motion in the State Assembly today.Responding to the call attention motion, Kayisii informed the House that ADC teachers’ salaries had been released up to October last year for Chandel district, up to December for Churachandpur district, up to September for Kangpokpi district, up to October for Ukhrul, Senapati and Tamenglong districts.The Government could not pay salaries for the remaining districts as no adequate fund was earmarked in the State budget. Nonetheless, the department wrote to the Finance Minister to give authorisation in order to pay the pending salaries of ADC teachers, Kayisii said.The Government tried to release the pending salaries before Christmas last year but the same could not be translated into action as no adequate fund was earmarked in the budget.Following media reports about KSO Bungpi Block’s allegation that the Finance Minister and the Tribal Affairs & Hills Minister demanded 10 per cent of the ADC teachers’ salaries to release the pending salaries, the Finance Minister had already clarified the matter.The pending salaries are being held back as an enquiry is going on, said the Tribal Affairs and Hills Minister.Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Y Joykumar stated that around Rs 188,77.07 crore was earmarked for payment of ADC teachers’ salary in 2016-17. The corresponding figure for 2017-18 was Rs 247,77.37 crore and this included an excess amount of Rs 5 crore.But it was said that the said amount is not enough to pay the ADC teachers’ salaries and the authority concerned asked for access authorisation.Upon enquiry, it was found that an excess amount of over Rs 233 crore had been expended. A three-member audit team has been investigation how such a huge amount was spent in excess, Joykumar stated. The pending salaries of ADC teachers would be released after the audit team submits their report, Joykumar added. Regarding Joykisan’s observation that there is a big gap between the pay scales of ADC teachers and State Government teachers, Joykumar said that there might be certain reasons for the gap and he would look into it.Saying that students and their academic career would be jeopardised if the ADC teachers launch agitation, Joykisan urged the Government to explore all possible measures which can prevent the teachers from launching agitation.